Police continue hunt for suspect in shooting, crash

Baltimore police continued to search Thursday for the person suspected of shooting a 16-year-old boy Monday and killing a 12-year-old girl in a crash while fleeing officers the next day.

Police said they were examining the stolen vehicle the suspect was driving for evidence such as DNA or fingerprints that could identify him. Police officials have said he is their No. 1 target.

"I continue to urge the public if you have any information about this man, please give it to us," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said. "There are already two lives that have been lost. We need to get him off the streets before we lose another life."

The events began early Monday when an armed man robbed and shot the two occupants of a white Ford Fusion in the first block of S. Mount St. and took their car.

Sixteen-year-old Oscar Torres was killed, and an older friend was taken to a hospital, where he was in critical condition. Police provided no update on the friend's identity or condition Thursday.

An hour after a description of the car was released to the public Tuesday, officers from the Special Enforcement Section saw the vehicle in East Baltimore and began following it. The vehicle sped away and crashed into a minivan, killing Shanizya Taft, 12, and injuring her mother and 4-year-old sister.

The driver of the stolen Ford limped away and escaped, witnesses said.

Torres had attended Patterson Park High School before dropping out and was working to help his family, relatives said. He loved soccer and aspired to be a firefighter or a tattoo artist.

Shanizya Taft was an "A" student at Coldstream Park Elementary-Middle School, where she was part of the robotics club. She was known for her fashion sense.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at 410-396-2100, or 911.